5.  The applicant was born in 1963 and is currently detained in Gliwice Remand Centre.
6.  On 13 November 2001 the applicant was arrested on suspicion of murder and identity theft.
7.  On 14 November 2001 the Katowice District Court remanded him in custody, relying on a reasonable suspicion that he had committed the offences in question. It also considered that keeping the applicant in detention was necessary to secure the proper conduct of the proceedings, given the risk that he might tamper with evidence or induce witnesses to give false testimony. The court also stressed the severity of the anticipated sentence.
8.  The applicant’s appeals against decisions extending his detention and all his subsequent applications for release and appeals against refusals to release him, were unsuccessful. In his applications and appeals, he relied on various reasons inter alia his health condition.
9.  In the course of the investigation, the applicant’s detention was extended on several occasions, namely, on 4 February 2002 (to 13 May 2002), 6 May 2002 (to 31 July 2002) and 22 July 2002 (to 31 October 2002). In their detention decisions the courts repeatedly relied on a strong suspicion that the applicant had committed the offence in question which was supported by evidence from witnesses and experts. They attached importance to the grave nature of those offences and the likelihood of a severe prison sentence being imposed on the applicant. They further considered that the need to secure the proper conduct of the investigation, especially when other suspects were still at large. They also underlined the need to hear numerous witnesses and to obtain fresh evidence from several experts. Finally, the court found no grounds warranting the applicant’s release from detention as provided for by Article 259 of the Code. In particular, the courts observed that it resulted from the medical report that the applicant could be treated within a penitentiary facility.
10.  On an unspecified date in October 2002 a bill of indictment was lodged with the Gliwice Regional Court. The applicant was charged with murder and identity theft.
11.  On 20 February 2003 the trial court held the first hearing. It subsequently held thirty five hearings in the case.
12.  During the court proceedings the authorities further extended the applicant’s pre-trial detention on several occasions, namely, on 21 October 2002 (to 30 April 2003), 25 April 2003 (to 30 October 2003), 20 September 2004 (to 30 March 2005), 23 March 2005 (to 30 September 2005) and 29 September 2005 (to 30 March 2006). The courts repeated the grounds previously given for the applicant’s continued detention.
13.  On 20 January 2006 the Gliwice Regional Court convicted the applicant of murder and sentenced him to twenty five years’ imprisonment. The court acquitted the applicant of identity theft.
14.  The applicant appealed. He was kept in custody pending the appellate proceedings.
15.  On 18 January 2007 the Katowice Court of Appeal quashed the first‑instance court judgment of 20 January 2006 and remitted the case.
16.  The Gliwice Regional Court further extended the applicant’s pre‑trial detention on several occasions, namely, on 12 March 2007 (to 30 June 2007), an unspecified subsequent date, 19 December 2007 (to 30 March 2008), 11 March 2008 (to 30 September 2008), an unspecified subsequent date, 8 December 2008 (to 30 March 2009), 25 March 2009 (to 30 June 2009), an unspecified subsequent date, 18 January 2010 (to 30 April 2010), 22 April 2010 (to 30 July 2010) and 28 June 2010 (to 30 August 2010). The courts repeated the grounds previously given for the applicant’s continued detention.
17.  In the retrial proceedings the applicant made several, unsuccessful applications for release and appealed, likewise unsuccessfully, against decisions extending his detention.
18.  On 19 August 2010 the Gliwice Regional Court again convicted the applicant of murder and sentenced him to twenty five years’ imprisonment.
19.  The applicant appealed. He was kept in pre-trial detention pending the appellate proceedings.
20.  On 17 March 2011 the Katowice Court of Appeal quashed the first‑instance court judgment of 19 August 2010 and remitted the case.
21.  The Gliwice Regional Court further extended the applicant’s pre‑trial detention on 9 February 2011 (to 31 May 2011) and 23 May 2011 (to 30 September 2011). The courts repeated the grounds previously given for the applicant’s continued detention. They further underlined the necessity to repeat some of the evidence.
22.  The retrial started on 22 September 2011.
23.  Between 9 July 2002 and 13 July 2004, 19 July and 13 August 2004 as well as between 13 August 2004 and 13 February 2006 the applicant was serving a prison sentence imposed on him in another set of criminal proceedings.